Helping people to live healthy and fulfilling lives. I write about health, nutrition, travel, education and meaningful, enriching experiences.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..

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Timi Gustafson, RD

People who meditate regularly over long periods of time in their lives suffer smaller age-related decreases in brain volume than those who don’t, according to a new study on the long-term effects of practices like transcendental meditation, yoga, tai chi, and other relaxation techniques. Some of the study’s outcomes confirm what prior research has shown, namely that […]
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There are plenty of people who must avoid gluten for health reasons. But there are also many who only follow a gluten-free diet because that’s the message they are given in the media, from daytime TV shows to celebrity endorsements. The rapidly growing popularity of wheat-free and gluten-free food products over the past few years is not […]
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Fast food seems to be losing its grip on America’s eating culture. The industry’s behemoth, McDonald’s, is struggling with reportedly significant drops in profits, leading to the recent resignation of its top executive. The reason? It’s called the “Chipotle effect.” Chipotle, the Mexican restaurant chain, has come to define the category of what is now called “fast […]
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The warnings have been loud and clear for a long time: High levels of sodium (salt) intake are hazardous to our health. Especially the so-called “Western diet,” which is dominated by processed foods, is notorious for its sodium content that is often obscured in hard to decipher nutrition facts labels and ingredient lists. That makes […]
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Every five years or so, the U.S. government updates its Dietary Guidelines for Americans, advising us how to eat to stay healthy. 2015 is the next due date. Starting in 1980, two government agencies – the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) – have periodically released new recommendations based on their latest […]
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As you may have heard, the city of Seattle, my hometown, has adopted new waste management policies that require food scraps to be disposed of in separate containers, instead of mixing them in with regular garbage. The ordinance, which was approved last September, has gone into effect on January 1st, 2015. The purpose of the new law […]
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The holiday season is behind us, and while the cheering was a lot of fun, it is now time to go back to a healthier eating regimen, especially if the scale indicates that you’ve been overdoing it a little. Unfortunately, the pound or two you may have acquired over the past few weeks tend to […]
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We all like to start anew once in a while, get a makeover, leave behind what doesn’t suit us anymore, or simply try something different. Then there is also that nagging feeling that we should change our ‘evil ways.’ When people make promises to themselves this time of the year, it is often about the […]
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“Resolution season” is upon us, that notoriously short period at the beginning of the year when people take notice of the fallout from their holiday celebrations. For some, it’s almost an annually reoccurring event, like the holidays themselves. Gym memberships are initiated or renewed, commercial weight loss programs sell like hotcakes, nutritionists and fitness coaches […]
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Now that the holidays are behind us, the damage inflicted on waistlines and other body parts bearing the marks of every dietary misdeed, no matter how harmless and forgivable it seemed at the time, will be lamented by millions. But I say, no need for self-flagellation. What’s done is done. Let bygones be bygones, we’ll do better […]
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Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..